A British war hero has launched an urgent appeal for a stem cell donor after being diagnosed with a life-threatening blood disorder. Former RAF Chinook pilot Chris Gordon, 43, received the Distinguished Flying Cross from the late Queen in 2013 for his life-saving work during the war in Afghanistan. He saved the lives of 31 British and Afghan troops by using his helicopter to shield them from enemy fire before airlifting them to safety, despite losing an engine during the attack.
Diagnosis and urgent need
The veteran, originally from Manchester, has now been diagnosed with severe aplastic anaemia, an extremely rare, life-threatening blood disorder which means his bone marrow cannot produce new blood cells. Doctors have told him that he needs a stem cell transplant and the former pilot is working with the blood cancer charity DKMS to encourage more people to register as potential donors.
Mr Gordon said: “In Afghanistan I saw courage and leadership at their best; people stepping forward when others needed help. It was something I tried to do wherever I could. Now I find myself needing help from other people. A potential donor could be anyone, anywhere in the world. But I need them to join the donor register so they can be identified as a match.”
Search for a match
Mr Gordon, who now lives in Los Angeles and works as a director at a helicopter company, has been told that he needs a transplant in the next few months. His brother Jonathan was found to be only a half match so medics are scouring global stem cell registers in the hope that someone will be a full match for Mr Gordon. While he waits, he is having blood transfusions twice a week.
Finding a matching donor is also linked to ethnic heritage and only a small proportion of the stem cell register is from an ethnic minority background, according to DKMS. This means people such as Mr Gordon, who is half Jamaican, have less chance of finding their lifesaving match, the charity said.
Appeal to the public
Mr Gordon, who spent 14 years with the RAF, lives with his wife and two-year-old daughter and is expecting a baby boy, due within weeks. He added: “People don’t know that they can do this, and they don’t know the impact that it could have. The actual sign-up process is so easy, and most people will never even be called up. But if you are a match, you could save the life of someone like me, and it is probably much easier than you think.”
DKMS said signing up to its register is a “simple process”, involving just a few health questions and some cheek swabs, which can be ordered for free from the charity’s website. The charity’s spokesperson Bronagh Hughes said: “For Chris, and patients like him around the world, the right person joining the stem cell donor register could give them their lives back. We are so grateful that he has chosen to share his story to encourage more people to sign up as potential donors. Signing up only takes a few minutes, but one day you could be called to give someone a second chance. Take a look at the DKMS website to find out more and order your free kit today; you could save a life.”
